1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to spring-loaded gudgeons for roller shades, and more particularly to a spring-loaded gudgeon configured to eliminate noise normally produced by a gudgeon pin rubbing against a gudgeon pin spring.
2. Background Art
A typical spring-loaded gudgeon assembly for a roller shade includes a gudgeon pin that is pushed longitudinally out of the gudgeon assembly by a gudgeon spring. The gudgeon pin is partially disposed inside the gudgeon assembly and the gudgeon spring is disposed inside the gudgeon assembly, behind, and coaxial with, the gudgeon pin. An end portion of the gudgeon spring contacts an end surface of the gudgeon pin. When a roller tube with such a gudgeon assembly is mounted over a window, the end of the gudgeon pin that extends out of the gudgeon assembly is coupled to a gudgeon pin plate.
A common problem with this configuration is that when the roller tube rotates (i.e., when the shade is raised or lowered), the gudgeon pin and/or the gudgeon spring also rotate, which causes the end of the gudgeon spring contacting the end of the gudgeon pin to rub/grind against the end of the gudgeon pin and make undesirable noise.